Mad friends
by vault dweller 12
Summary: A young doctor starts working in Arkham, she make's some friends amongst the patients. Live seems to go well for her, until her boyfriend gets agressive and beats her. The patients are out for revenge. Read & review please.
1. Chapter 1: the new arrival

Chapter 1: A new arrival

Monday:

They're was no sound to be heard in the halls of Arkham Asylum, but the sound of clicking heels. These heels belonged to Dr Leland, one of Arkhams psychologists. She was getting ready for a job interview with a young psychologist. She opened the door to her office, where the intern was waiting and sat behind her desk. "So I understand that you graduated as top of your class and you have a PhD in psychology" said Doctor Leland to the young women sitting across the other side of the desk. "Yes, that's correct" said the young women with a slight tone of pride in her voice. "So why do you want to come work in Arkham, when they're are so many other hospitals that would love to have someone like you?" Asked doctor Leland. "Well, there aren't many institutions with such a reputation as Arkham and I think I would look good on my resume" said the intern. "Hmm, I see, well ill have to consult your employment with Doctor Bartholomew but I'm sure there won't be any problems" said Dr Leland. We'll call you as soon as possible.

Monday evening:

Jennie Jenkins was back at her place, which she shared with her boyfriend Matthew. 'Hey babe, how did the job interview go' asked Matthew curiously. 'I think it went well, they said they call me back in a few days to let me know if I got the job' said Jennie to answer his question. "That's great babe, I you don't mind I goanna drink something with the guys" Matt asked. Jennie knew it wasn't a question, it was a fact. When she first met Matthew, she was head over heels about him. He was a real gentlemen, always sweet, buying her gifts. But after a few months she noticed that he'd changed. He was more secretive, he didn't told her where he was going, he didn't spend any time with her anymore. But that he shut her out of his life wasn't the worst, he started drinking to. It all started very innocent, he just went out with his friends, but he started to drink more and more, and every night Jennie was worried sick that her boyfriend wouldn't come home because something terrible happened to him.

Monday night- Tuesday morning

Matt came home around 12 pm home, that meant he probably slept at some friends place. Jennie didn't like it when matt stayed with these so called friends, but if she even mentioned the subject, Matt became aggressive so she just leaved it. He just went to bed without saying a word to Jennie, or even acknowledge the fact that Jennie was standing in the doorway, waiting for him.

Tuesday

The phone rang. Jennie rushed to the phone, afraid that it would wake-up Matt. "Hello?", she asked as quietly as she could. "This is Doctor Leland, the head of psychology from Arkham Asylum, we had a job interview yesterday" said the other woman on the phone. "I'm calling about your job interview and I'm glad to say that you will be joining our team". Thank you so much doctor Leland, said Jennie happily. "Could you come to work on let's say Wednesday" Of course, doctor Leland, I'll be there'. Jennie was thrilled that she got the job.

Tuesday evening

this night Matthew came home around 2 am this time, as drunk as possible, he could barely stand on his own two feet. Jennie tried to lift Matt, but he was to heavy so she placed a blanket over him so he wouldn't get to cold.

Wednesday

Today Jennie had her first day in Arkham today and she didn't want anything to come between but she was still worried about Matthew. She left him a note with her phone number and the emergency number. He should be fine, he'd probably sleep through the whole day she thought. But just to be sure, she informed the housekeeper about Matthew and her housekeeper promised to keep an eye on him. Now Jennie could leave without worrying sick about Matthew.


	2. Chapter 2: we're all mad in here, doctor

Chapter 2: Were all mad here, doctor

'Your task here in Arkham, will be to have some private sessions with the patients and you also have to lead some group sessions' said doctor Leland. 'I understand, who will I be guiding?' Asked Jennie curiously. 'Well, we thought to give you one of the easier to handle patients, we didn't want to throw you in the lions pit just yet'. So after a mutual agreement we decided that your first patient will be Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter. I suggest you study the case a bit before talking to your patient advised doctor Leland. 'I've planned a session at 2 pm with mister Tetch for you, so don't be late' doctor Leland said. 'Of course not doctor Leland' Jennie said a bit shy.

Well, she had all morning to go through Mister Tetch's case file so she better got started. She went to the cafeteria with the case file under her arm. At this hour, there weren't too many people in the cafeteria except a few guards who had a break. She found a place to sit near one of the windows. Well, Mister Tetch let's see what you did to end up in a place like Arkham Jennie said to herself. Well, well mister Tetch is an Englishmen, who would have thought that? Hmm, it says here that he used to work at Wayne Tech, a company owned by Bruce Wayne. The man is an expert at neuro technology. Apparently he was in love with a girl named Alice Pleasance but she was already engaged with a man named Billy. Tetch was so furious that he used a mind controlling device that he made, on Alice, her fiancé and his boss Miss Tates. He then kidnapped a group of eight people and he was at last defeated by Batman in Gotham's Storybook Land. The only thing he said during his arrest was _"Would not, could not, would not, could not, oh could not join the dance…"_ It was clearly a quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Jennie had read Alice in Wonderland as a child like so many others and she liked Carroll's style.

Jennie looked at the clock, it was almost 1 pm and the cafeteria was empty. She wanted to get a quick bite to eat and then she'd have to prepare for her first session with Jervis Tetch. She entered the small office, where her patient was already waiting for her. To her left stood a guard, who nodded at her when he saw her entering and then stared back to a spot in front of him. She seated herself in front of the man known as Jervis Tetch. She took her time to observe the man sitting in front of her. He was wearing a standard Arkham uniform and he sat very nonchalant. He had blonde hair, a bit of an overbite and blue eyes which were staring at her with some curiosity. So mister Tetch, do you know why you're here? They said I kidnapped a group of people and that I fought with Batman but instead he thought but he just looked up and _said 'Your hair needs cutting.'_ Well, there was an answer she hadn't' expected. Mm, well she had read that Tetch was obsessed with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland but could he only speak in quotes from Carroll's children's book or not she wondered. Do you remember what happened before you were arrested, that you kidnapped a group of people and held them hostage? I didn't mean to, I just wanted Alice to love me instead of that jabberwocky Jervis thought but al he said was _"I'm afraid I can't explain myself, miss. Because I am not myself, you see?"_ It seemed that he used the quotes as a defense mechanism. After some time Jennie said 'that's all for today mister Tetch, the guard here will escort you back to you cell'. It was no more than a whisper but she could swear that she heard him say _"we're all mad here._


	3. Chapter 3: a day with two-face

Chapter 3: A day with Two Face

'Do you have a loved one?'  
'Excuse me what?' said Jennie who was daydreaming.  
'I asked if you have a loved one.' said Gotham City former district attorney Harvey Dent, now known as the villain Two-Face. She looked at the man sitting across her, his face was covered in shadows but there was a small reflection of light coming from the flipping of a coin.  
'Yes, I have a boyfriend Matt, we've been together for about three years now' Jennie replied. 'What about you Mister Dent, do you have someone waiting for you?'  
He nodded, 'My wife Grace, she often visits me in this dreadful place.' He sighed.  
'Is something wrong mister Dent?'  
'She would understand his problem, after all she had a boyfriend herself' he thought. 'Grace can't visit my lately because I've been stripped from my visitor rights.'  
'I see, may I ask why you lost your visitors right?'  
'It happened about two weeks ago, Grace came to visit me, we talked and she was about to leave when that guard named Chris started flirting with her, Grace didn't respond to him and started walking for the door, then suddenly he grabbed her arm and kissed her. Grace gave him a piece of her mind by smacking him in the face. He did it because he knew she was my wife and he has this pick on me.'  
'So what did you do?'  
'I did what every man would do to defend his wife's honor. I waited till he had his guard duty and escaped my cell, then I sticked to the shadows. He never saw me until I broke his nose. I told him that if he ever touched my wife again I'd break more than just his nose. The other guards must have heard his cries. They rushed in helping their fallen co worker get back to his feet and cuffed me. They brought me to doctor Bartholomew, I told him what happened and why I broke the guard's nose. He refused to believe me, and ordered the guards to lock me up in solitary for a week and he stripped me of my visitor rights. It's been a month now and I still haven't seen Grace. Do you think you could say a few good words about me for the board, there's a hearing next week to see if I'm allowed to have my visitors right returned.'  
'Of course, it's the least I can do.'  
'Thanks doc, you're a real charm' (said Two-Face before the guards came to bring him back to his cell.)

'I call upon the next witness, Doctor Jennie Jenkins, who has been having therapy sessions with the patient Harvey Dent. Miss Jenkins you know the reason why Mister Dent's visitors rights have been subdued?'  
'Yes, Mister Dent broke the nose of one of the guards.'  
'Do you know why he did it?'  
'Yes, he told me that the guard made an inappropriate action towards Mister Dent's wife.'  
'My client couldn't be here at the moment due to his broken nose, but I have his statements here. My client Mr. Andersen says he never touched mister Dent's wife and that the whole story is made up by Mister Dent because he has a personal dispute with my client. What say you to this Miss Jenkins?'  
'I don't believe that Mister Dent made this up because I have heard several other complaints about Mister Andersen and how he is a bit too friendly with the female doctors. For instance I have here a statement from a former doctor here at Arkham who filed a complaint against your client, but eventually she dropped the charges. 'And there are much more where that came from' Jennie said. Victory was near.  
'What is your verdict, Your Honor?'  
'Well, it seems that Mister Dent was speaking the truth al along, and since he has had his punishment I see no reason to extend Mister Dent's curfew on visitors.'  
They had won the case, she couldn't believe it. Jennie went to Cell Block C to tell Dent the good news. He was happier then she ever saw him.  
'Doc, if there wasn't safety glass between us I would have hugged you. I owe you big time. You name it and it'll be done. '


	4. Chapter 4: a friend indeed

A friend indeed

Jennie closed the door to her apartment.

Matt already left off to work, she guessed.

She took the bus at Gotham Central and got off a mile or so before Arkham.

Jennie always liked to walk the last few miles, it was good for her condition.

When she walked in, she was immediately greeted by doctor Leland.

'Ah Jennie, can I ask you something'?

'Sure, doctor Leland'.

'You know doctor Thompson, right'?

' Yes, of course'.

'Well, his wife is pregnant and he just got the news that she has given birth to their son'.

'Now, doctor Thompson had a few appointments today. Do you think you could take over some of his appointments'?

'Sure, anything I can do to help.'

' Thank you, Jennie, here are the case files of doctor Thompson's patients. Thank you again, Jennie.'

'No problem, doctor Leland'.

And with saying that, doctor Leland was leaving Jennie alone in the hall.

She took a look at doctor Thompson's schedule for today.

He had various appointments with the Mad Hatter, Harley Quinn and the Joker.

Since the last two escaped Arkham yesterday, the only session that remained was that with the Jervis Tetch.

She looked somehow forward to this session, Jervis Tetch was a curious man and she was fascinated by his case.

A man who had a promising carrier ahead, suddenly lost it and went berserk.

What made him tick?

Jennie found herself in Cell block D, where they kept the psychiatric patients.

Her feet must have brought her there like a mechanism.

The patients were staring at her with a hungriness in their eyes.

She felt a shiver going down her spine.

Jennie walked to the exit as fast as she could, taking a deep breath when she finally went in Cell block C, away from those hungry eyes.

The inmates from cell block C looked at her with curiosity, but she ignored their looks and rushed to her office.

Jervis Tetch was already waiting for her. The guard looked at her, gave Jennie a quick blink and concentrated his look on the patient.

'I'm sorry I'm a bit late, Jervis'. 'I guess we'll have to do it with the time we have left'. 'Don't you think'?

'_If you knew Time as well as I do_' Jervis replied.

_`you wouldn't talk about wasting __it'_Jennie pitched in.

Jervis who at first was sitting very laid-back, straightened his back and in his eyes, there was a look of interest.

'_Twinkle, twinkle, little bat'!' 'How I wonder what you're at!' _Jervis started.

'_Up above the world you fly, like a tea-tray in the sky, twinkle, twinkle'_ Jennie finished.

The guard, who couldn't follow the conversation, made a time's up sign by ticking on his wrist watch with his finger.

Jennie nodded towards the guard, to Jervis she said ' I'm sorry to say that the sessions is over, I'll see you next week at the same time.

Jervis nodded, he felt sorry that the session was already over. There weren't too many doctors around who could recite Carroll.

'Thank you, doctor Jenkins'.

Jennie was shocked. It was the first time the man didn't recite Carroll.

After the guard escorted Jervis back to his cell, Jennie sat down at her desk and reflected on the session.

She felt like she really achieved something today, perhaps this was the start of a good doctor-patient relationship.


	5. Chapter 5: damsels in distress

Chapter 4: infirmaries, common room's and damsels in distress.

Morning

"I'm afraid I can't come to work today Doctor Leland I've had a small accident."

' I'm sorry to hear that, are you alright? What happened?' asked Doctor Leland with a worried tone in her voice.

'Nothing to serious, I fell from the stairs, I'm just heading to the infirmary for a quick check up, I should be able to come to work tomorrow' said Jennie.

Very well then, I'll see you tomorrow, take care.

'Thank you doctor Leland, goodbye.'

She didn't want to lie to her boss, but she couldn't tell the truth either.

The truth was that she never fell from the stairs, she and Matt had a pretty big argument over his drinking problem and all of the sudden he had hit her. She didn't see it coming before it was too late.

' I'm so sorry Jennie, I didn't mean to hit you.'

She was crawled away in a far corner, crying.

'Jennie please I'm so sorry, I won't happen again, I promise.'

They went to the infirmary together, they decided not to tell anything about the fight, and said instead that Jennie fell from the stairs.

I would be the first of many trips to the infirmary.

A few months later.

in the common room of Arkham.

In a corner of the room was a auburn haired man sitting at the chess table waiting for a worthy opponent.

He was looking around careless to see what the other inmates were doing.

Joker was watching Looney Tunes and next to him was Harley, looking at him with such puppy love, that the auburn haired man wanted to vomit.

Ivy saw the look in Harley's eyes too and sighed.

She was reading a herbal magazine and rolled her eyes every time Harley praised her Mister J for his great puns and jokes.

Riddler who was sitting in a arm chair was filling in some crosswords and glanced from time to time at Ivy, on who he had a secret crush on.

Near the window stood Two Face and the Ventriloquist discussing their plans to destroy the Batman.

Suddenly the door of the common room opened and two guards came in with in between them the Mad Hatter.

'Alright mista Hat here you are, play nice.'

None of the other rogues looked up when the blond haired man stepped towards the chess table and sat down across the auburn haired men.

'I thought you had a therapy session with that new doctor?' the auburn haired man asked with boredom.

' I did, but after a few minutes Doctor Leland came to tell me that my session for today was canceled.'

'Apparently the new doctor called in sick.'

'What a shame' said Jonathan Crane with a tone of sarcasm while he moved his bishop to 4g.

'Well, I kind of liked this doctor, she really cares about her patients' Jervis said.

Jonathan sighed, how could Jervis be so naïve he thought.

Edward Nygma who lost his interest in his crossword started walking towards the table where the two villains were playing chess.

'I heard you guys talking about Doctor Jenkins, so I thought I pitched in' said Edward.

Jonathan's eyes darkened when the other man pulled a chair and sat down next to them.

Jervis gave him a warm welcome, while Jonathan shot a dirty look at Nygma.

Nygma didn't notice it or pretended that he didn't notice it.

'Do you have anything useful to say or are you just here to annoy us with your presence?' Jonathan asked.

'As a matter of fact I have, last week when I was escorted back to my cell, I noticed how the doctor had an argument with a man'.

'Things got quit out of hand, she wasn't too happy with him showing up and she was about to walk away when he suddenly grabbed her arm.

She tried to get free from his grip, but that only made him angrier, he even smacked her in the face. His hand was imprinted on her face. She was crying, the poor thing.

The guards heard her crying and left me behind while they were rushing to her.

The guy got away before they got to them. She was pretty shaken up, so they brought her to the infirmary.

An hour or so later they brought her to doctor Leland's office.

Apparently that guy was her boyfriend and it wasn't the first time he'd hit her.

The doctor had some bruises and a black eye.

'And I thought we had a bad time, with batman giving us hell' Jervis said.

And you didn't even try to escape? Jonathan asked.

'Please, I was more concerned about the doctor's safety at that moment then escaping Arkham.'

'You know we should avenge the doctor' said Jervis all of the sudden.

The other two villains looked at each other and then back to Jervis.

'What it's a great idea' said Jervis.

'Have you even considered this ridiculous plan of yours?' asked Jonathan.

'And how do you propose to get out of Arkham?' asked Edward.

'With some help from Two-Face of course' said Jervis.

' And he'll help you, why?'

'Because he owes the doctor a favor' said Jervis.

'What about you Jonathan, care to join me in this quest'? Jervis asked.

'Tetch please, you can save damsels in distress all you want, but don't drag me into this' Jonathan said while rolling his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6: Hat trick

The rain was pouring down out of the sky. It was a cold foggy night.

A man who was leaning against a wall, shivered.

'Where was that damned hatter?' He asked to nobody in particular.

'God, how did he get into this mess?'

They escaped yesterday under the cover of a massive breakout in Arkham, and that damned Tetch insisted they settled the score for that doctor.

Jonathan refused of course, stating there were better ways of spending their freedom than going on some quest for justice.

But Tetch had a way with word, and he played on Jonathan's sense of pride.

Jonathan remembered the conversation clearly:

'_But Jonathan, we have to do this. If not for the good doctor, then for ourselves'._

'_And what do we gain in all of this?'_

'_We both know what it's like to be bullied and humiliated by people who felt superior.'_

'_Don't you ever say that again or I'll swear, you won't live to see another day!' Jonathan hissed._

'_So you'll accept?'_

_Jonathan thought about this and was about to refuse, but his alter ego whispered something: 'Think about it Johnny. We can't let Hatter have all the fun. And he is right about the bullies. No bully should walk free without fear. Accept, and do us both a favor.'_

'_Fine, I'll help you. But only because he's a bully and he deserves it. This isn't about that doctor.'_

_Jervis clapped in his hands. 'I knew you would help.'_

Jonathan was lost in thoughts when he was startled by a sound not so far away.

He slowly reached for the vial of fear toxin he kept hidden in his sleeve. Anyone who was there would be sorry for this disturbance.

'Jonathan?'

A whisper came from the other side of the alley.

'Yes Tetch?'

'We're in position and ready.'

'Good. On my signal, we go in.'

'One…'

'Two…'

'Three!'

Jonathan started to pick the lock of the emergency exit of the apartment building where their target was currently staying.

'Are you done yet?' A rasping voice asked behind him.

It was Two Face who was tossing his coin nonchalantly.

'Not yet, the lock is a bit rusty.' Jonathan answered a bit annoyed.

There was a silent click and the door opened.

'Finally.'

'Well, if you think you've could have done it better…'

'Now, now gentlemen. There's no reason to fight.' Jervis pitched in.

They continued their way to the apartment without any interference.

'This must be the place.' Two Face remarked.

'How can you tell?' Jonathan asked sarcastically.

It was obvious that this place belonged to a notorious alcoholic.

There were empty beer bottles scattered all over the hallway and also some remnants of what appeared to be some joints.

There was no electricity in the building, which made this job much easier.

The door was locked, but it wouldn't proof of much resistance.

There was a dry click of a door knob being turned, and the three villains entered the small apartment.

There were even more empty beer bottles here, and a large pile of dishes were standing in the sink.

There were empty cartons of pizza spread all over the floor. Everything in the apartment showed it hadn't been cleaned in at least three months.

There was a loud snoring noise coming from the bedroom.

The three men were all walking on the tips of their feet trying to be as quit as possible and avoid the massive piles of garbage.

The bedroom was a mess, just like the rest of the apartment.

There were no sheets on the bed and the mattress had some odd looking stains on it.

Matthew suddenly woke up. A firm hand was being placed on his mouth.

It was Jennie, which was impossible because Jennie kicked him out, about 3 months ago.

He blinked with his blood shot eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

It wasn't Jennie who he saw. It was a man.

He was pretty normal, average guy. He even had a somewhat familiar look.

The guy turned his burned face to Matthew, who tried to scream by the sight of his face. But it was no use.

Matthew got hit on the back of his head and fainted.

He woke up several hours later, in what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse.

His eyes hurt because of the bright light. He tried to get free, but he noticed he was tied to a chair.

'Would you like a cup of tea?' A voice with an English accent asked.


	7. Chapter 7: the girl with the red scarf

The girl with the red scarf

"Excuse me?"

"Would you like a cup of tea?" the man repeated his question.

The man in front of Matthew wore a blue overcoat and a top hat which was a bit too big for him. He had a bit of an overbite and under his blond hair there were two clear blue eyes, staring at Matthew.

"No thanks, I'm more of a coffee drinker." Jennie always drank tea. Honestly, Matt never understood what she liked about it.

"O boy, he's done it now."

"Yep, Tetch hates it when someone refuses his tea. That's why I always drink his tea when we perform a heist."

Matt saw two men talking in a corner of the abandoned warehouse. They were currently standing, but he couldn't see their faces.

"So you don't want my tea huh?" You… you…. you Jabberwocky!

"Off with his head!" Jervis exclaimed.

"Now now Tetch. That would be too easy for scum like him." A man stepped out of the shadows. It was the same man Matt saw earlier. The man with the burned face.

"No, our 'friend' here will suffer for what he has done to our beloved doctor Jenkins."

"Jennie, please no! I swear, I never meant to harm her like that."

"Perhaps, but who knows what the future brings. Who knows how many other women will follow in the doctor's footsteps if we don't act?"

"I swear I won't harm any women again."

"That's true. We'll look after that."

"This one's for the good doctor." And with those words been said, Two-Face punched Matt in the face.

After several beatings Matthews face looked like hell. One eye was completely closed; and the other wasn't looking good either. His jaw felt like it was dislocated. The rest of his face was covered in blood.

"That's enough for now."

"We need him alive… for now."

"Jervis, would you be so kind to make sure that our guest has a good night rest?"

"Of course." Jervis laughed.

"O god, that maniacal laugh doesn't predict any good."

Jervis pulled out a microchip and placed it behind Matthews right ear.

Within an instant Matthew fell in a deep slumber.

Matthew opened his eyes. He found himself in a dark corridor with no doors or windows. He took a step forward, when something caught his attention. A simple red scarf lay on the ground. To anyone else, it was just a scarf. But to Matt it meant much more. It was a symbol of pain, despair and even death. Something which could mean the end of his live as his knew it. "No! It was an accident! You hear me?! An accident!" There was a blinding flash and Matt had to cover his eyes. When the light finally dimmed and Matt could remove his hands, he noticed that he was somewhere else. He was standing on top of a roof. It was night, and there was a clear sky. "Where am I?" He looked around for anything that could tell him more about his current location. As soon as the puzzle pieces fell together - the dark corridor, the scarf, this place - he was shocked by what he just discovered. "This is just a dream. I can't be… Not again!" Matthew heard voices coming his way. A young woman stepped forward followed by a young man. "Care to tell me why we're here?" Matthew recognized the woman immediately. It was Marie, his very first love, and that man was no one else then Matthew himself! A younger version. "Oh Matt, won't you look at those stars? Aren't they beautiful?"  
"They are, but they're not as beautiful as you."  
"Oh Matt, you're such a charmer." Marie gave him a playful kiss on the cheek. The younger Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her in his arms. "You know Marie, there's something I wanted to ask you."  
"Anything." The younger Matt sank down on one knee and held out a diamond ring. "Marie Anne Green, will you marry me?"  
"Oh Matthew! I, I can't."  
"What?! Why not?! There's someone else isn't there?" He snapped.  
"No, I would never do that!" Marie cried.  
"Then, why Marie?"  
"My parents, they want me to marry a lawyer or a doctor."  
"So, I'm not good enough for you?! Is that it?!"  
"I never said that!"  
"Think you're too good for me, huh?! When I'm done with you, those fancy doctors and lawyers won't even lay eyes on you!" And after those cruel words, he hit her in the face, the stomach, and everywhere he could hit her. Marie was struggling to keep her balance and was leaning on the edge of the rooftop. "No more please!" She lost her balance and fell forward over the rooftop edge. The young Matthew tried to get a hold on Marie and managed to grab her by her scarf. "Please don't let me fall, I don't want to die."  
"Try to pull yourself up."  
"I can't."  
"I'm losing my grip." Marie's hand was slipping away. "Goodbye Matthew." Marie fell into the darkness of the night and a hard bang could be heard when her body met the concrete. Matt was standing alone with the remains of Marie's scarf. "Good god, I have to get out of here!" The young Matthew ran as fast as his legs could carry him.  
"Wake him up! There are consequences! he could land in a coma!"  
"I've never tested the side effects on human subjects before."  
"Just do it!"  
"Fine, but I'm not in charge of disposing the body if he dies." Matthew was roughly awakened by a cold bucket of water being thrown over him. "Care to explain who Marie is?"


	8. Chapter 8: ghosts of our past

Chapter 8: ghosts of our past

'Marie?' She was everything to me and now… now she's dead.

'I killed her over some stupid argument.'

'What happened?'

'I asked her to marry me. She refused, and I got so worked up I pushed her over the edge. I knew everything would point out to me so I decided to the ditch the body in a lake not to far outside of Gotham. I forged a note in which Marie explained she wanted to start a new life far away from and broke all ties with her family.  
Her parents were suspicious at first and organized benefits in her name but when the years passed everyone started to believe she really left everything behind in search of a new life in a foreign country.'

'Does doctor Jenkins know about this?'

'No, I haven't told a single soul about that night.'

Matthew was still having side effects of the fear toxin. It acted like some kind of truth serum. It made him say things he would never confess unless under severe torture.

'I think it's time to discuss what we're going to do with our prisoner. Why don't we decide over some tea?'

There were some words of protest, but a quick glance of Jervis shushed all protest.

Matthew used the distraction and tested his restraintst, but it was no use. The rope was too strong to break.

'Matthew.'

'Huh?'

That voice. It sounded so familiar and yet he couldn't place it.

'Matthew, don't you remember me?'

A woman dressed in a wedding dress stood before him. Her face was hidden behind her veil. Her dress, which was once white, was now grayish mixed with tints of brown.

She lifted the veil and uncovered her face.

Matthew looked in utterly horror.

'What's the matter Matthew? You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'You're dead!'

'You should know. You're the one who killed me.'

'It was an accident, I swear.'

'I guess it doesn't matter anymore since I'm dead!'

'I'm sorry. I never meant to kill you.'

'Apologies not accepted.'

'Do you even know what you did to me? When you pushed me over that edge, you didn't just take my life away, but also my chance of ever being happy. I'll never marry nor will I watch my children grow up and grow old with the man of my life. All those things were taken from me!'

'Why are you here?'

'I saw your girlfriend Jennie and the way you treated her. I'm just here to make sure you don't do the same thing to her as you did to me.'

'How are you going to do that?'

'Simple, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life. I'll make your life a living hell.'

Marie's ghost was moving closer to him and stood still for a moment, as if she was thinking.

She lifted her veil and the very sight shocked Matthew.

Her face, which was once beautiful, was a nightmare. One of her eyes was missing and another was balancing on a short tread which seemed to be a nerve. Her left cheek was a hole, showing her teeth. Her lips were gone. Matthew assumed some animal was responsible for it.

'How about a kiss, Matthew?'

And after those words, Marie kissed him.

Matthew could smell and even taste Marie's decaying corpse and he felt the sudden urge to throw up.

He passed out moments later with the stench of rotting in the air.

Batman's pov.

He got a distress call coming from Arkham. There was a breakout, but he didn't get any details.

Upon arriving, he was immediately greeted by the doctor in charge, doctor Bartholomew.

'Batman, I'm glad you could come so quickly.'

'What's the situation?'

'We had a breakout. Several of the patients escaped.'

'Joker?'

'No. Thank goodness, that madman is still in his cell. The patients who did escape are Harvey Dent, Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tetch.'

'Hmm, I see.'

'But you should talk to the doctor who was treating them. Jennie Jenkins is her name. I'm sure she can be of more assistance.'

'Thank you, doctor.'

Batman went inside to see this doctor Jenkins and hear her out.

He found her in the hallway talking to doctor Leland.

From the description doctor Bartholomew gave him, he assumed that this was doctor Jenkins. She was young, probably in her mid twenties.

'Doctor Jenkins?'

'Yes, who's ask…? O, Batman.'

'I have some paperwork to do. I'll see you tomorrow Jennie.'

'See you tomorrow, Doctor Leland.'

Doctor Leland left them and went to her office.

'I assume you want to talk to me about the breakout?'

'Yes. Were there any signs that they were planning a breakout or any other incidents?'

'No, not that I know… Wait, yes there was an incident.'

Jennie told him everything from the beatings Matthew gave her, to the hearing with Two-face and the slow progress she made with patient Jervis Tetch, and the day Matthew showed up at her work and had beaten her in front of everyone.

'I'm sorry to hear that. Did you file a complaint against him?'

'No, I was afraid of how he would react. But I broke up with him a few months ago.'

'Any idea of his whereabouts?'

'No, I'm sorry.'

'Thank you for your time, Miss Jenkins.'

'Thank you Batman. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you find Matthew for me and see how he's doing? I'm worried about him.'

'I'll see what I can do.'

Batman walked to the bat mobile. It was time for some good old fashioned detective work.


End file.
